Southern or Wood Scorpion Cercophonius squama

The common name ‘Southern or Wood Scorpion’ is applied to scorpions that belong to the genus Cercophonius, of which there are at least six species in Australia.

Cercophonius squama is a widespread south-eastern Australian species, found in south-eastern South Australia, Victoria, eastern NSW, the ACT and Tasmania. It is one of three species of scorpions known to occur in the greater Melbourne region. The body length, including the tail, ranges from 25–40 mm, and the body pattern is variegated, consisting of patches of different shades of brown on a lighter background.

It lives in burrows under plant litter on the ground; shallow burrows if occupancy is temporary and deeper ones if occupancy is longer. It can also live under the bark of standing trees, preferring eucalypts. Cercophonius squama can live for more than three years. It feeds on small invertebrates generally less than 10 mm in body length.

The sting of the Southern or Wood Scorpion can cause inflammation and pain for several hours, and medical advice should be sought.

Further Reading

Koch, L. E. 1977. The taxonomy, geographic distribution and evolutionary radiation of Australo-Papuan scorpions. Records of the Western Australian Museum 5(2):83–367.

In the past few weeks we have had more than a dozen small wood scorpions in the home - approx one a night. Most but not all are dead or dying. We have seen several active scorpions outside the house. I want to get rid of them and intend to use Coopex dust inside the house and a Coopex solution sprayed outside the house. I don't fancy having a scorpion in my socks in the morning!
Is there a less fatal way of keeping the critters out of the house?
Evan

I just found one in the lounge that appeared to have come out of the chopped wood I had brought in to burn. Glad I saw it before the cat pounced on it. I placed it back outside to enjoy more adventures, hoping it won't have babies ...

Tony Watson
26 June, 2009 15:36

I have just found a Wood Scorpion Cercophonius squama while digging up weeds on my acre block close to gum trees under leaf litter etc. this is the first time I have ever seen one in SA and is there a register for sighting unusal insects in your area or are they common to in Loxton SA? Tony.

Evan - another method that can help with keeping scorpions outside of the house is to install draught excluders on external doors. Tony - Museum Victoria specialises in the distribution of insect species within Victoria. Might you try the SA Museum regarding your Loxton enquiry?

We have just found our first scorpion in the bathroom!! we are on the coast in victoria and am wondering if there is one is there likely to be many more? its the first one iv seen in the 10 years iv lived here!

Hi Beau - There are 9 known species of scorpion in Australia, and whilst they are fairly common, they do not generally seek to come indoors, rather coming in accidentally. Draught excluders along doors can help prevent further unwanted visitors! The links given in a previous reply will give you more information about their habits and habitat.

Hi, we have been in Australia for a year now and live in Clifton Springs Vic, we are keep finding wood scorpions on a night time. I dont mind them to much but I have a 3 yr old and a 3 month old and I am worried that they get bitten. How bad would the bite be and what would the signs be.
Thank you

scorpions have no interest in people so a sting usually results either from accidental interaction, i.e. standing on a scorpion or if people try to handle them and the animal feels under threat. We get many enquiries on scorpions and not one that I can remember has involved someone being stung. So despite the fact that they can be relatively common in some areas as long as people treat them with respect and are aware of their behaviours and habits, it seems stings are rare.

If you or someone in your family is stung we recommend you seek medical advice but the scorpions in Australia are not considered highly dangerous like some of the species in other countries.

we are up to number 7 scorpian we have found in the house in the past few weeks mainly finding them in the bathroom but most recently on our doona cover on our bed. they are really freaking my partner out and wonder what sort of spray deternat can we put around the house to stop them coming in. oh p.s we are in tasmania also is it usual to find then over here?

scorpions are found in Tasmania and as in Melbourne they can be quite common. Finding one on the doona would give you a scare; you can try those draft excluders if you think they may be wandering in under the door. Also be aware that they may be brought into the home under the bark on firewood.

Hi there. You say they are found in Melbourne area. I live in Withcott, Queensland. We have had 5 maybe more in our house since living here for 7 years. Usually found in the bathrooms or laundry. Very frightening when we have children in the house.

Jeremy
13 February, 2010 22:25

We have just found our third scorpion in the house (a marbled) the second one we found stung my wife in bed. (it was in the bed and she laid on it.) So she is very freaked out. We only have 2 doors into the house and 2 of the scorpions were found nowhere near either of the doors, so I don't know if the draft excluders will work. I plan on bombing the interior and spraying the exterior, will this be effective?

sorry to hear about your wife being stung; she has been very unlucky as we get many enquiries to the Museum regarding scorpions and I can't remember the last time someone contacted us having been stung. Unfortunately the Museum is not involved in pest control so I can't say whether spraying will definitely exclude them and if so how long this may remain effective for. If you want to go ahead with treatment try to ring at least three professional pest control companies and see what sort of guarantees, services they can offer you.

Scorpions can also be brought into the home under bark, so if you have a pile of wood for an open fire, this may also be a way of inadvertently bringing them in.

Hi Zacc, thanks for your enquiry. We suggest you look at some online stores when looking to purchase scorpions. If they are sold by these online stores, they are probably captive bred or responsibliy collected. Perhaps consider contacting The Green Scorpion.

Hi Russ, the mature female scorpion is generally larger and more robust than the male, but the sting at the tip of their tail is generally shorter. The pincers and/or the tail are longer in males. The pectines, (sensory organs on the underside of the scorpion) are also longer and the teeth of the pectines are more bent in males. As you can see it is not easy to differentiate the sexes.

Hi there, just a quick query and thought you might be the right people to ask. Does a scorpions sting contain traces of metal?. I have been led to believe they do, can you claify this for me. Thank You.

Hi Travis, we have looked into this and we have found that there is research being undertaken into the possible use of scorpion venom in new insecticides and cancer treatments. I could not find any reference to scorpion venom containing traces of metal. To follow this up you may want to contact the Australian Venom Research Unit.

I just found a Southern/Wood Scorpion by accident, while moving wood in the back yard (with heavy gloves on).It was under the loose bark of a log and fell out as I moved the wood. I noticed that it "played dead" while I was looking for it to put in a jar so my daughter could photograph it. Many people have made comments about finding Scorpions that were dead. I wonder if they were just being still?What do you think?
Its extremities (feet and pedipalps) looked quite reddish to me. It was about 25-35mm long.
It occurred to me later that a batch of little darkish bodied reddish legged things that I could not focus on without my glasses, that scattered from under a nearby piece of disturbed wood could have been its young. Would this be likely?

Small scorpions like the wood scorpion do remain quite still if they are disturbed. This is often for 2 reasons: Over winter they are quite cold and they will minimise movement as their body temperatures are not warm enough to allow for high levels of activity. The other reason we see scorpions ‘playing dead’ when we disturb them is as a predator defence mechanism; they only tend to remain this way for a short period of time when they think pretending to be a piece of wood is working, then we find that they will suddenly become very active and will make a big effort to get away.

The group of animals you observed scattering away from under a neighbouring log are unlikely to be the young of this scorpion. The only time they are clustered as a group is upon the females back. Once they have moulted and left the females back they disperse and if they encounter each other they are more likely to have each other for dinner rather than hang out together.

Hi ,, ive found my very first wood scorpain in tasmania at the back of ridgley and still is spun out to find it as i thought tassie dont have these !!! at the moment i have him for a pet just to get info on them etc then im letting him go back where i found him ,, could you tell me what they eat as want it to be in the most nature as possible feeling till i take it back ...

All scorpions are predators. Your wood scorpion in the wild would be feeding on a range of small insects and other invertebrates it finds in your backyard. If you can find some small insects such as grasshoppers and cockroaches from the backyard you can offer them to the scorpion. Make sure the food you offer them is around 1/3 the size of your pet.

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Yvette
28 November, 2010 12:43

Hi
I live in Perth and regularly find quite small scorpions in my home, usually in the bathroom. I think they fall down through the extractor fan with implies they live in the roof space. Can I assume they are wood scorpions and are they common in Perth?

Hi Yvette, as you are in Perth it might be a good idea to contact the Western Australian Museum and see if they can identify the species for you. If you can take some images you could contact the Museum here. They will have a better knowledge of WA fauna than we will.

Hi
I got stung in my bed in the middle of the night by a scorpion. I have found many in the house which fortunatley I have been able to remove one way or another. This was last summer. I have just found the first one inside for this summer. I want them dead, is there a spray? They are a light brown colour with a kind of white speckle

Hi Onna, despite the fact that scorpions can be found in reasonable numbers in the suburbs of Melbourne stings are rare so you have been unlucky. Scorpions have no interest in humans and stings usually result from people accidentally standing or lying on them. Of the nine species that are known to inhabit Victoria none of them are considered highly dangerous although a sting can result in inflammation and pain for several hours and you should get medical advice in the event of being stung. The Museum is not involved in the removal or control of insects and invertebrates but you may want to consider draught excluders if you have large cracks under the door. Scorpions can also be brought into the home under the bark of firewood. If you are interested in having a specimen identified by our Entomologist please submit an identification request by following the guidelines located here. Please follow these links to access our MV Resources for more information and facts on scorpions.

Hi Coral, if you can safely tip the scorpion into a container you can take it outside and release it in the garden. Scorpions in Australia are not considered highly dangerous although if stood on or if they feel threatened may sting in self defence. Scorpions will sometimes wander inside while looking for food. They can also be brought inside under the bark of firewood.

Hey I find about 1 a week in my home in tassi . I think that they are wicked I have the biggest one I found as a pet now and its the best pet iv Eva had . I just catch live crickets from my yard and give it loads off water and its great . I put a cricket in that was about 2 inches long it was massive . I woke up in the morning and the cricket that is 2 times bigger than the scorpion has no head ...

We find a couple of scorpions every year in our home. I have four girls and I worry that someone will tread on one in the dark. We don't have a wood heater and I'm wondering how else would they make their way inside. They always appear in the bathroom or my bedroom (which aren't near each other). Could they fall down from inside the tastic light?

Its unlikely that they would be up in the ceiling as they are usually ground dwelling creatures - it is far more likely that they are coming in under outside doors. Otherwise, they could also be brought in by a pet (dog/cat), or plants that are transferred from outside to inside, particularly if there is garden/mulch near these rooms.

Just found a little scorpion (approx. 3.5cm) that looks exactly like the image above, sadly drowned in our backyard pool in Heathmont. I was quite surprised as I had no idea there were scorpions in Melbourne. Thanks to your website I was able to identify it.

Just found a little one in the kitchen - dark coloured, about 20cm long - never seen one here in the Dandenongs before. Plan to 'return it to the wild' on my way to work tomorrow (or perhaps to test Bear Grylls theories on how they taste....)

Tyers, Victoria. I was sawing up a fallen tree and when moving the wood found my first scorpion (approx 3cm long, quite meaty) here. He played dead for a bit but was quite active once I put him in a jar to show the family and teach the children what it is and not to touch. Needless to say we'll be much more careful with bringing wood inside in future. He was let go quite away from the house.

Hi, my mum has just recently found a scorpion in our kitchen. My cat was attacking it earlier and I have decided to keep it as a pet. I noticed it's a female from the features it has (Light colored legs, short stinger and claws, quite muscular) what type of bugs do they eat and where will I find them?

Scorpions will eat small insects such as cockroaches and grasshoppers, not too big. They will also eat mealworms which can sometimes be bought from pet shops. It is important not to over feed them and perhaps one meal every few days is sufficient. Check out some of the information provided to other readers above.

I was a bit freaked out when I found a scorpion on the carpet (in Kingston, Tasmania) but feel a bit better now I realise I probably brought it in myself (on the firewood) and that they usually don't bite! Still I will inspect the wood more closely in future!

I was stung by a scorpion about half an hour ago, which is how I came to find your website. Wanted to check on side effects as I've had a reaction to a European wasp sting. The sting felt similar to a sting from a bee. It caused redness and swelling for about 15 minutes but the pain and swelling has almost gone. The scorpion was about 30mm long and a reddish colour. I have seen them inside the house quite often (Sisters Beach in Tasmania) but have never been stung before. Stepped out of bed in the dark and trod on it. Thanks for the helpful info on your site.

Hey have a cpl of questions, has the wood scorpions always been In Tas or were they imported? As I don't remember them as a kid (80's)? Is it known if anyone that has been stung, has had any similar extreme reaction to that of a bee sting (anaphylactic shock)? Also are cats and dogs vunrable to the same pain as humans? Cheers Dean C

Last New years eve, whilst on holidays in Queensland we received a desperate call from our cat sitter, She had found our Puss lying on the floor near her water bowl almost dead, Yes you guessed it a scorpion sting on the underside of the front right shoulder, and because there was no one really around it turned into a major abscess. How do we know it was a scorpion you ask??? our little girl was in hospital for three days and blood samples were taken and checked and by the analysis of enzymes in the blood it was determined that the culprit was the wood scorpion. Believe me I know how much it hurts because today at lunch time I was hit twice by a scorpion, it is know 6 hrs latter and I still have one very sore hand, considerable swelling, and four very numb fingers. I have not sought medical assistance but will be keeping a very close eye on things for a while yet

Iain
11 April, 2012 08:13

Hi, after moving house recently we've started to find a number of wood scorpions in our home. I understand the bite is not a significant issue for adults but we have a 6 month old baby and I'd like to know if there is any significant risk if she's bitten?
Cheers
Iain

Hi Dean, the Southern or Wood Scorpion is the only species of scorpion found in Tasmania but we haven't found any evidence suggesting that it is not naturally occurring in Tasmania. As they are nocturnal, small and well camouflaged they often pass unnoticed by people. The Australian Venom Research Unit states that 'on a world scale Australian scorpions are relatively innocuous, with very few deaths reliably documented as related to scorpion stings. Local pain and swelling are the major clinical problems following Australian scorpion stings.'

Pets definitely feel pain if stung by a scorpion, whether or not it hurts them as much as it hurts us I don't think anyone knows.

Hi Iain, have a look at the answer we provided today to Darren regarding venom issues for this scorpion. In the event of a suspected sting seek medical attention if for nothing else than peace of mind. If you are getting scorpions in the house check if there are obvious gaps under the door and use those draught excluders to block them. Scorpions can also be brought into the house under the bark of firewoood. Scorpions have no interest in people and are likely to sting only if stood on or handled and stressed. Despite the fact that they can be locally common we get hardly any stings reported to us at the Museum.

Hi , so I found a scorpion on the kitchen floor here in gippsland. I had pet scorpions when I lived in Brisbane a few years ago. I've made the same enclosure I used to have with commercial sand. I've put a heat pad under half the tank. Do the scorpions in Victoria require a heat pad ?

Last night my mum found a black scorpion in our house in mt Eliza on the mornington peninsula. It was about three centimeteres long and pretty scary! Mum said in the forty years in Melbourne she's never seen one. It was really cool but horrible at the same time. We let it go outside because we are not the killing type.

Ifound my first scorpion in the loo, crouching. in a corner. I blew on it & it raises its horrible little sting and claws. I left it alone and went back to bed. When I awoke a couple of hours later, it had followed me to my room -ugh! I'm allergic to bee and wasp stings
so I donged it with a shoe, and have it in a jar (dead) Never knew we had them in Victoria - East Gippsland.

Hi Lee, we are not aware of any scientifically published material that suggests Australian species of scorpion will be repelled by lavendar. As you have found this species of scorpion can be brought inside under the bark of firewood. The species is not considered highly dangerous but to avoid an accidental sting maybe wear gloves when carrying the firewood. Those draught excluders may stop any scorpions wandering under the door if you have large cracks. Despite the fact that scorpions can be quite common even into the inner suburbs of Melbourne we have very few stings reported to us.

We live in Lakes Entrance and have seen plenty of scorpions around the house and even a few inside but this morning my son got up close and real personal with one that had decided to take up residence in his shorts that were on his bedroom floor and stung him near his groin when he put them on. He was not a happy kid after that and neither was the scorpion ..

Hi Michelle, sorry to hear that, your son has been quite unlucky. We get many enquiries about scorpions each year and almost none of them are to report a sting. Hope all are well, although I imagine the scorpion may not have been popular.

We moved to Hobart 6 days ago so far have had 2 wood scorpions in our house. We lived in inner Melbourne for 29 years and never saw 1. I didn't put them outside as I didn't want to risk handling them, so regrettably I killed them. There is one sliding door into the house which has no gap so the draft stoppers won't help. It is possible that they are coming from under the house through gaps in the skirting. Is there any known species of birds, spiders or insects which eat wood scorpions? Possibly we could attract these into the garden somehow to reduce the numbers of scorpions in the garden which might reduce the number in the house.

Hi Jacob, the Live Exhibits Team have provided the following information for you. Scorpions are common throughout most backyards in Victoria and Tasmania, but they rarely enter houses as the air inside buildings is too dry and they die quite quickly. So you may have had scorpions in your house in Melbourne, but they never lasted long enough for you to find them. The scorpions found around Melbourne and Hobart are relatively harmless - their sting is no worse than a bee sting. Any large predatory invertebrate and any bird or small mammal will happily devour a scorpion - they have no particular predators that can be used to reduce their numbers. The best way is to keep them out, by reducing their entry points and by checking when bringing anything (such as firewood) from outside into the house.

Hi Zane, scorpions can enter homes via very small openings. They can be found in bathrooms where conditions are humid, not too dry and where water is available. If they are hunting for food they may be found in the bathroom if that is where the most invertebrates in the house are to be found. If you have a wood fire the scorpion may have been brought into the house with the wood or under the bark of the wood.

Hey all, I found a scorpion sitting on the bathtub a few weeks ago. We live in the Riverina of NSW and have never heard of scorpions in Aus before. We've put it in a jar, it plays dead a lot but will run around the jar and what we would like to know is if it will eat white ants? Cheers

we just found a 25mm wood scorpion in the drain gully of the shower. We lifted the grill to clean it and there it was, very freaky as did not know scorpions existed in Victoria. last week there was red back in the bath, we live bayside metro Melbourne, it must have been the hot dry weather?

I have seen a couple in southern tassie in the places I have lived, but I just found one that very dark almost black and it had red spots around the outside of its body. I have trawled through pictures online and read through a few sites and can't find a scorpion that fits that description , ohh and it was about maybe an inch long or a fraction less. Any ideas ?

Wow love all the information!!
I actually found one of these cleaning up my shed this afternoon. It was living under a bit of carpet.
It was very good at playing dead!!
I have named it Fred lol
He is currently situated it his own enclosure with some bark dirt leaves and a meal worm .
The misses is freaked out by it.
Such a fascinating creature

I've found my first scorpion in the house tonight I live at the top of western port bay Melbourne. Yuk not happy Jan. Now comes the time that I will be sorting out all of the spaces that they can come in.

Found a small scorpion in the kitchen! Placed it in a match box and placed a heavy bowl over it to prevent escape till I could let it out of the house! When I checked a little while later, it had gone!! Can't find it.. Will it find me?? Very worrying. And how did it escape??

Hi Wez, the only thing that scorpion will be interested in is food, shelter and a mate, as you represent none of these you should be fine. The scorpion should make it's way back outside, just be careful if you get up in the night to look where you are walking. If you step on it then it is likely to sting in defence. Scorpions and spiders such as huntsmans are capable of getting through some impressively small gaps.

Helen
28 March, 2014 19:38

We live in Tasmania and were getting quite a few in our house! An annual spray by the pest control man has put paid to them, they reappear approx 11 months after the spray which means its time to spray again!

Suggestion welcome ... I have recently discovered number is scorpion in main bedroom . I used to keep the bathroom window open which is attached the bathroom . I have two young kids (2 and 5 ) so got bit worried . I am originally from Kashmir so didn't know much about scorpion . I google around and found that Scorpio in tasmania are not deadly but still they are not harmless art the same time. I called pest control propel who did exterior and interior spray . I have seen any other insect after spray but after a week I could see a scorpion again surfacing ....I want to know ... What else I can do ? Is there any other precautions or any other strong spray or anything ... That stops them coming in permanently ...help and suggestion will be appreciated

Hi Shah, We can't give pest control advice, but you might like to make sure all potential scorpion-friendly habitats are reduced around the house. Make sure any piles of wood or debris are kept away from the house, and if you bring in wood for the fire, check the wood or basket for any scorpion hitchhikers!

Neroli
7 April, 2014 11:31

All you people choosing spraying as a solution might want to ask the pest men what chemical they're using and why. If you look up some of these chemicals on a search engine you might find they are much worse that the scorpions! Some are implicated in genetic disorders and cancer. Teaching your kids that they are a bit dangerous and need to be treated with respect is another, perhaps better, option for their health.

just had a scorpion come in the bedroom on ground floor-have seen them in the garden the other year. but my concern was for my 11 month old puppy--what would happen if he got stung while trying to eat it--like he does with spiders---yes have put some draft excluders in place now

About the end of May I found a 40mm wood scorpion identical to your photo above in Bayside Melb-it was dead & in the collar of a washed blouse I got out of the wardrobe. Now am wondering if I should go through all the clothes...